


Scars of a Misused Youth

by Rainey_Arlet



Category: Cinderella (1950)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23396767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainey_Arlet/pseuds/Rainey_Arlet
Summary: Cinderella’s thin white hands are ridden with burns and scars from her past; so many that she can’t quite count them.
Relationships: Prince Charming/Cinderella (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	Scars of a Misused Youth

Cinderella’s thin white hands are ridden with burns and scars from her past; so many that she can’t quite count them.

They’ve always lingered on her hands, ever since she became a servant for her stepfamily. Burns and bleeding from rough housework and punishing lashes from her stepmother’s cane cut through her skin, tearing the once-soft hands and turning them ugly and scarred. Fresh new wounds would litter her skin everyday, and no matter how many bandages she wrapped around them, they never healed completely; always leaving a permanent scar, like knife-marks engraved into stone. Whenever she held her hands out to feed her little mice friends, they would take a moment to gaze at the faded white lines and purple bruises on her skin, nibbling at their cheese with sympathetic tears in their tiny eyes.

When the Fairy Godmother materialized and took Cinderella’s cold, tear-stained hands in her own warm, motherly ones; she noticed the uneven scratches and bruises all over her palms and fingers. Perhaps that was why she decided to magic a pair of gloves to match her dress; the Fairy Godmother wanted Cinderella to forget her scarred life for a night, and feel soft silk on her skin instead of burns and cuts. And when she saw the overjoyed smile on the kind girl’s face, the Fairy Godmother knew she’d made the right choice.

The prince didn’t notice them until their wedding day. The first time she danced with him, at that magical ball, Cinderella had been wearing the silky soft gloves gifted to her by her Fairy Godmother. But the moment he held her hands after saying their vows at the altar, he couldn’t help but notice the rough cuts and bruises adorning her pale skin. Staring into her twinkling eyes, which were a beautifully clear shade of sky-blue, he wondered what pain this sweet girl had been through.

Cinderella’s fingertips are worn from years of scrubbing, and her palms are scorched from pots and fireplaces. There are weals where her stepmother hit her with a cane, and there are gashes from cooking knives and Lucifer’s claws. Cinderella’s hands are ridden with haunting memories of her terrible childhood, but to Cinderella, the ugly scars are a reminder of who she is. She has endured years of abuse, yet still managed to stay spirited and optimistic. She has spent her youth in a nightmare, yet still managed to never stop dreaming. She has struggled through years of hardship, with her heart slowly breaking into tiny little pieces, yet still managed to keep a smile on her face every single day.

And as the scars on her hands slowly heal, her shattered heart will heal too, because now she can wake up each morning knowing that her wishes of happiness have finally come true.

She hopes that her mother and father, who always valued inner beauty more than pretty faces, will be proud of her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback and criticism much appreciated.


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